Branthwaite had appeared to put to bed all rumours of him leaving Everton when he signed a new contract at the club in June, but this has not stopped players agitating for moves in the past. United added Wolves’ Matheus Cunha this summer, despite the Brazilian signing a new deal at the club and having a rather exuberant extension announcement in January. The Red Devils may be looking to replicate that with the English defender.
Branthwaite has developed into one of the brightest defensive prospects in the Premier League and his partnership with James Tarkowski in front of Jordan Pickford between the sticks has become quite the impenetrable wall at the back. Branthwaite, a left-footed defender, has emerged at the top of a number of clubs’ shopping lists owing to his blend of physicality and ability on the ball, fitting of a modern style centre-half.
According to the Daily Star Branthwaite is United’s first choice option to replace 33-year-old Harry Maguire, whose contract expires next summer, but will face competition from bitter rivals Liverpool. The Reds have earmarked Branthwaite as a potential long-term successor to Virgil van Dijk and could replace Ibrahima Konate who is being tipped to complete a Bosman move to Real Madrid next year. Yet, it is unclear whether Branthwaite would be keen to switch the blue of Merseyside for the red.
The plight of Ruben Amorim’s United continues to deepen and there is little sign of things getting better at Old Trafford any time soon. The Portuguese coach has maintained his faith in his 3-4-3 formation throughout his tenure, despite it earning him just nine wins from 33 games, and is yet to find what his strongest starting line-up is. The inconsistent team selection and performance of his defenders have created huge gaps at the back, exposed ruthlessly by Brentford on Saturday. Igor Thiago capitalised on lacklustre defending by the Red Devils to score a brace and Mathias Jensen added a third to take United’s goals conceded tally to 11 from just six Premier League games. The Red Devils have had a number of defenders slot into the three available defensive slots, each with mixed success, and their pursuit of a reliable presence at the back seems never ending. Everton’s Branthwaite could prove to be the ideal option at the back to fill the holes so often found in the heart of United’s defence, but persuading him to join may be tricky.
Branthwaite won’t have to look too hard to find someone who found life in Manchester difficult. The defender has recently been joined at Everton by Jack Grealish, on loan from Manchester CIty, who has been enjoying a resurgence at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. The English winger made a £100m switch to City following a number of spectacular seasons for Aston Villa, but, after goals dried up and he was pushed out of the team, struggled to impose himself in Pep Guardiola’s squad. He has admitted that his off-pitch antics did not help, but since his move to Everton, Grealish is a player transformed. Branthwaite may take one look across the dressing room at Grealish and realise a move to a bigger club may not be the right move for him at the moment.
Everton would have spent the last week preparing for Graham Potter’s West Ham arriving in the north-west, but may now have to adjust their preparations following the dismissal of the former Chelsea and Brighton boss. The Hammers have brought in former Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo immediately, desperate for the Portuguese coach to kick start their poor start to the season.
Monday’s clash also sees David Moyes come up against his former side. The Scottish manager oversaw West Ham’s success in the Europa Conference League and will be once again determined to show his former employers that they were wrong to dismiss him so easily. The Toffees could climb into European qualification spots with a victory over the Hammers.
